Balloonists' sinking feeling

The city of San Diego accuses balloonists of trespassing, environmental damage and parking in undesignated areas.

Eduardo Contreras

The city of San Diego accuses balloonists of trespassing, environmental damage and parking in undesignated areas.

The city of San Diego accuses balloonists of trespassing, environmental damage and parking in undesignated areas. (Eduardo Contreras)

Hot-air balloon operators typically launch in Encinitas, Solana Beach and northern San Diego and land in the Carmel Valley or the Black Mountain area.

Hot-air balloon operators typically launch in Encinitas, Solana Beach and northern San Diego and land in the Carmel Valley or the Black Mountain area.

Hot-air balloon operators typically launch in Encinitas, Solana Beach and northern San Diego and land in the Carmel Valley or the Black Mountain area.

The city of San Diego accuses balloonists of trespassing, environmental damage and parking in undesignated areas.

Sean M. Haffey

The city of San Diego accuses balloonists of trespassing, environmental damage and parking in undesignated areas.

The city of San Diego accuses balloonists of trespassing, environmental damage and parking in undesignated areas. (Sean M. Haffey)

Hot-air balloons have drifted over Carmel Valley for more than three decades, giving tourists and locals sunset rides few can forget.

But the image of balloons silhouetted against the multihued sky may fade into the past as San Diego city officials clamp down on operators who allegedly violate land-use rules in the Black Mountain area. The City Attorney’s Office said problems include trespassing, environmental damage, doing business without a permit and parking in undesignated areas.

The demise of the region’s ballooning industry has been predicted for at least a decade, as increasing development in North County reduced the area for safe landings. The current conflict threatens to force out the handful of companies that operate balloons and flocks of visitors from around the world who enjoy the evening breezes aloft.

“It’s driving them away,” said Robert Griscom, an aviation attorney representing a balloonist charged with misdemeanor trespassing by San Diego. “I guess that’s what the city wants.”

Enthusiasts said San Diego’s coast is a top ballooning destination — along with the Loire Valley of France and Albuquerque, N.M. — partly because the mild climate allows flights roughly 300 days a year. Ballooning is such a part of the region’s fabric that the colorful icons adorn everything from postcards to neighborhood entry signs.

San Diego parks officials said they started citing balloon operators in 2006, when much of a premier landing zone near Black Mountain had been ceded to large housing projects and state Route 56. About the same time, the city gained control of environmentally sensitive properties in the area to mitigate for the development, said Chris Zirkle, deputy director of San Diego’s Open Space Division.

About a year ago, Zirkle said he noticed that problems with balloons on city land weren’t going away. He changed a park ranger’s shift to allow that person to more closely monitor balloonists as they landed.

Since then, operators have felt increasingly uncomfortable.

The city has handed out three citations to balloonists in 2010, equal to the total number they issued in the past four years. The tickets were for trespassing, conducting business without a license, obstructing a city officer and operating a vehicle off-road. Zirkle said those activities lead to environmental damage.

He met with about 10 balloonists this month ﻿to explain the city’s concerns and seek suggestions on possible landing areas, though he’s not confident that a compromise can be reached.

His concerns are backed by Jeremy Fonseca, a deputy city attorney who issued a letter in February in which he sternly told balloon operators to cut down on “persistent violations” of city and state laws. He warned those companies about potential penalties of up to $2,500 and six months in jail per incident.

Balloonists have scraped their gondolas across sensitive vegetation, passengers have trampled rare plants, and fences and signs have been removed or destroyed in the process, Fonseca said.

“I am aware of the belief that balloonists may land wherever they want to by asserting emergency and necessity on each and every flight,” Fonseca wrote. “Our office is concerned by the fact that operations continue despite repeat attempts by officials to inform balloonists of … the illegality of ballooning activities on city property.”

Dianna Piles, a recreational balloon pilot in Wrightwood, hadn’t heard much about the dust-up in San Diego but said it didn’t surprise her because balloonists are getting squeezed by urbanization and changing social norms nationwide.

“Back in the ’80s and ’90s, (people) just loved seeing balloons. Now they are getting to the point where they don’t want you around anymore,” Piles said.

Local balloon operators and supporters said the industry has been targeted unfairly by overzealous enforcement in San Diego. At least two balloon companies that fly in North County have hired an attorney. Both refused to discuss the issue publicly for fear of undermining talks with San Diego.

Another balloonist, California Dreamin’ owner David Bradley, said he will suspend operations in North County until May 15 because of erratic weather conditions and concerns about San Diego’s crackdown.

Bradley isn’t angry with city crews enforcing the regulations. Instead, he hopes he can work with them to find acceptable landing zones and make up for any environmental damage caused by the balloons, passengers and support trucks.

“The impact is definitely definable, measurable and minimal,” he said. “I think ballooning could continue for many years as long as it was done responsibly.”

Bradley said balloons typically take off from parking lots and fields in Encinitas, Solana Beach and north San Diego an hour or so before sundown. For about $200 a person, pilots fly passengers for approximately five miles.

Balloons aren’t steered like a car; they rely on finding wind currents at different elevations to take them where they want to go. Pilots don’t know what the winds will allow on any given day, so they can’t pinpoint where they will touch down.

The image of soaring balloons helps to create strong brand recognition for the region, even though the exact economic value isn’t clear. “It’s saying this is a Southern California destination for outdoor recreation,” said Cami Mattson, president and CEO of the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“We have occasionally taken enforcement action against balloon operators for landing after dark, flying into clouds and balloon airworthiness issues, but the vast majority of operations (in the San Diego region) are conducted safely,” said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.